{{GovLgov}}{{TOCnestright}}The '''Governor of Connecticut''' is the head of the executive branch of [[Connecticut|Connecticut's]] government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the [[Connecticut Legislature]] and to convene the legislature. Unusual among U.S. governors, the Governor of Connecticut has no power to pardon.

|Other offices =[[Governor of Connecticut|Governor]]•[[Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut|Lieutenant Governor]]•[[Connecticut Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]•[[Attorney General of Connecticut|Attorney General]]•[[Connecticut Treasurer|Treasurer]]•[[Connecticut Comptroller|Comptroller]]•[[Connecticut Commissioner of Education|Commissioner of Education]]•[[Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture|Agriculture Commissioner]]•[[Connecticut Commissioner of Insurance|Insurance Commissioner]]•[[Connecticut Commissioner of Environmental Protection|Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner]]•[[Connecticut Commissioner of Labor|Labor Commissioner]]•[[Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority|Public Utilities Regulatory Authority]]}}{{TOCnestright}}The '''Governor of the State of Connecticut''' is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the highest state office in Connecticut.

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The current [[Connecticut Constitution]], ratified in 1965, calls for a four-year term for the [[Governor|governor]], commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election. The previous constitution of 1818 originally had only a one-year term for governor; this was increased to two years in 1875, and four years in 1948. The 1875 amendment also set the start date of the term to its current date; before then, it was the first Wednesday in the May following an election.

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The current [[Connecticut Constitution]], ratified in 1965, establishes a four-year term for the [[Governor|governor]], commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.

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The constitution provides for the election of a [[Connecticut Lieutenant Governor|lieutenant governor]], for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; this provision was added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only acted as governor.

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The constitution provides for the election of a [[Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut|lieutenant governor]], for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; this provision was added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only served as acting governor.

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Connecticut did not create a state constitution for itself until several decades after it became a state; until 1818, the state operated under the provisions of its colonial charter. The charter called for the election of a governor every year, but not more than once every two years, with the term commencing on the second Thursday in May.

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{{State trifecta status|state=Connecticut|control=Democratic}}

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==Current officeholder==

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The current governor of Connecticut is [[M. Jodi Rell]]. She leaves office in January 2011 and will be succeeded by Democratic Governor-elect [[Dan Malloy]].

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The 88th and current governor of Connecticut is [[Democrat]] [[Dan Malloy]]. He was first elected in November 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. He will come up for re-election in 2014 and his current term will end on January 7, 2015.

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==Contact information==

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Malloy, before becoming governor, was mayor of Stamford, CT from 1995 to 2009 and, prior to that, a member of the town's Boards of Finance and Education. Before entering politics, he was a prosecutor in Brooklyn, NY, where he served for four years as an assistant district attorney. Malloy is a former trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a former president of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities, and a former member of the Stamford Cultural Development Organization. He and his wife, Cathy, have three sons.<ref>[http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?a=4011&q=471134 ''Office of the Governor of Connecticut'', "Bio of Dannel Malloy," accessed July 22, 2011.]</ref>

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==Authority==

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The [[Connecticut Constitution|state constitution]] establishes the office of the governor in [[Article IV, Connecticut Constitution|Article IV, the Executive Department]].

Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 5, 2011 and January 7, 2015 are inaugural days.

''A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1966, and quadrennially thereafter.''

''Such officers shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election until the Wednesday following the first Monday of the fifth January succeeding their election and until their successors are duly qualified.'''

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===Term limits===

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:: ''See also: [[States with gubernatorial term limits]]''

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Connecticut governors do not face any term limits.

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===Partisan composition===

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The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Connecticut State Governors from 1992-2013.<br>

Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.

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==Duties==

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{{ctseal}}

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The Governor of Connecticut is responsible for upholding the constitution and faithfully executing all laws (Article 5, § 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, he must periodically address the joint session of the legislature, with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and his suggestions for policy.

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§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out for other states in that governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, his right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.

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Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.

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Other duties and privileges of the office include:

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* adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date he deems proper (§ 10)

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* requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)

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* authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)

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==Divisions==

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{{SEO divisions missing}}

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==State budget==

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The budget for the Governor's Office in the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year was $2,769,502.<ref>[http://www.ct.gov/opm/lib/opm/budget/2012_2013_biennial_budget/section_b_budgetsummary.pdf ''Connecticut Office of Policy and Management Budget Documents,'' "20132-2013 Biennium Governor's Budget," accessed May 28, 2013]</ref>

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==Compensation==

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::''See also: [[Comparison of gubernatorial salaries]] and [[Compensation of state executive officers]]''

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The governor's salary is set by law. If it is raised or decreased, that change must be passed into law and does not take effect until the first election held after the law's passage.

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===2013===

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In 2013, the governor's salary remained at $150,000.<ref>[http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/drupal/content/csg-releases-2013-governor-salaries ''Council of State Governments,'' "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," June 25, 2013]</ref>

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===2012===

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In 2012, the Connecticut Governor was paid an estimated [[Compensation of state executive officers|$150,000]]. This figure comes from the [[Council of State Governments]].

From 1992-2013, there were Democratic governors in office for three years while there were Republican governors in office for 16 years. During the final three years, Connecticut was under Democratic [[trifectas]].

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Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.

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Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

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The chart below shows the partisan composition of the [[Governor of Connecticut|Office of the Governor of Connecticut]], the [[Connecticut State Senate]] and the [[Connecticut House of Representatives]] from 1992-2013.

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[[File:Partisan composition of Connecticut state government(1992-2013).PNG]]

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==Historical officeholders==

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There have been 103 Governors of Connecticut since 1639. Of the 103 officeholders, 31 had unknown political affiliations, 31 were Republican, 22 were Democratic, 7 were Federalist, 6 were Whig, 2 were Jeffersonian Republican, 1 was A Connecticut Party, 1 was National Republican, 1 was American Republican and 1 was American.<ref>[http://www.cslib.org/gov/ ''Connecticut State Library,'' "Roster of Connecticut Governors," accessed August 2, 2013]</ref>

The Governor of the State of Connecticut is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the highest state office in Connecticut.

The current Connecticut Constitution, ratified in 1965, establishes a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.

The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor, for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; this provision was added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only served as acting governor.

Current officeholder

The 88th and current governor of Connecticut is DemocratDan Malloy. He was first elected in November 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. He will come up for re-election in 2014 and his current term will end on January 7, 2015.

Malloy, before becoming governor, was mayor of Stamford, CT from 1995 to 2009 and, prior to that, a member of the town's Boards of Finance and Education. Before entering politics, he was a prosecutor in Brooklyn, NY, where he served for four years as an assistant district attorney. Malloy is a former trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a former president of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities, and a former member of the Stamford Cultural Development Organization. He and his wife, Cathy, have three sons.[1]

Elections

Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 5, 2011 and January 7, 2015 are inaugural days.

A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1966, and quadrennially thereafter.

Such officers shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election until the Wednesday following the first Monday of the fifth January succeeding their election and until their successors are duly qualified.'

Vacancies

Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.

Duties

The Governor of Connecticut is responsible for upholding the constitution and faithfully executing all laws (Article 5, § 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, he must periodically address the joint session of the legislature, with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and his suggestions for policy.

§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out for other states in that governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, his right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.

Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date he deems proper (§ 10)

requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)

authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Connecticut has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

The budget for the Governor's Office in the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year was $2,769,502.[2]

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, there were Democratic governors in office for three years while there were Republican governors in office for 16 years. During the final three years, Connecticut was under Democratic trifectas.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

Historical officeholders

There have been 103 Governors of Connecticut since 1639. Of the 103 officeholders, 31 had unknown political affiliations, 31 were Republican, 22 were Democratic, 7 were Federalist, 6 were Whig, 2 were Jeffersonian Republican, 1 was A Connecticut Party, 1 was National Republican, 1 was American Republican and 1 was American.[4]